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In Vitro Iron Availability from Insects and Sirloin Beef
Gladys O Latunde-Dada1, Wenge Yang2, Mayra Vera Aviles1
1Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Division, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London , Franklin-Wilkins Building, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
|October 13, 2016
Summary
Insects offer a sustainable protein source with high mineral content. Certain insects, like grasshoppers and crickets, provide more bioavailable minerals than beef, potentially enhancing human mineral intake.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Science
- Food Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Entomophagy (insect consumption) is gaining attention as a sustainable protein source.
- Data on mineral bioavailability from edible insects is limited.
- Understanding mineral content and absorption is crucial for dietary applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the bioavailability of key minerals (Fe, Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, Zn) from four insect species.
- To compare insect mineral bioavailability with sirloin beef.
- To assess the impact of incorporating insect protein into whole-wheat flour.
Main Methods:
- Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) for soluble iron measurement.
- In vitro simulated digestion (peptic-pancreatic) to assess iron bioavailability.
- Ferritin measurement in Caco-2 cells as a marker for iron absorption.
- Comparison with sirloin beef and ferrous sulfate (FeSO4).
Main Results:
- Insects (grasshopper, cricket, mealworm) showed higher chemically available Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, and Zn than sirloin beef.
- Iron solubility was significantly higher in insects compared to beef.
- Buffalo worms and sirloin beef demonstrated higher iron bioavailability, comparable to FeSO4.
- Fortifying whole-wheat flour with insect or beef protein reduced mineral content and iron solubility.
Conclusions:
- Commonly consumed insects are rich sources of bioavailable minerals, particularly Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, and Zn.
- Insects can serve as a valuable alternative for improving mineral intake in human diets.
- Buffalo worms and sirloin beef show comparable iron bioavailability, suggesting varied absorption rates among insect species.
